Moneyball: Changes looming for AFL Next Generation Academies, contract news on Tom Hawkins, Harley Bennell, Matt Rowell
Next Generation Academies have generated controversy since they were introduced, with some clubs openly admitting the system is a ‘rort’. Now they could be ended by COVID-19. Plus contract latest from the Hawks, Cats and Pies.
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Talk on the recruiter grapevine suggests the AFL’s controversial next generation academy program is a sitting duck.
The program costs each club up to $200,000 to help look for players from multicultural and indigenous family backgrounds and bring them into an elite pathway system.
But there are club officials who are happy to acknowledge the system is basically a rort as clubs look to pick up ready-made talents, rather than discover new ones.
This might be the last year it is in place, allowing Western Bulldogs to snare arguably the best player in this year’s pool, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, with pick No. 1 or No. 2 as part of the academy program.
Dogs’ coach Luke Beveridge went into bat for the program earlier in the year, but his calls to expand the program post COVID-19 crisis are one million to one to get up.
With the AFL looking to save cash everywhere, the NGA is looming as another one of the big cuts.
CROWS’ SURPRISE ACADEMY BONUS
When the AFL allowed non-expansion clubs to have Next Generation Academies did it know they would throw up bizarre tales like this?
James Borlase father Darry played 246 games with the Port Adelaide Magpies and yet due to eligibility criteria he is not a Power father-son prospect.
But because James was born in Egypt while Darryl was working with the Australian Wheat Board, he is eligible for Adelaide as an overseas-born player in the Crows catchment area.
Adelaide also has exciting small forward Tariek Newchurch and Tyson Edwards’ son Luke as father-son and NGA candidates, but Edwards is yet to commit to the Crows.
Clubs are still awaiting guidance on list sizes and the future of NGAs but are increasingly hopeful the big list cuts AFL official Brad Scott is keen on might be watered down.
Scott himself is part of the AFL stand-down that has affected so many AFL staff.
He is still being paid the last year of his salary at the Kangaroos, but it is staggered over three years to help North Melbourne.
WHICH HAWK VETERANS WILL PLAY ON?
Hawthorn is headed for some tough list calls on as many as seven veterans at season’s end.
Shaun Burgoyne (37), Paul Puopolo (32), Ricky Henderson and James Frawley (both 31) are all playing for contract extensions if they want to go on at year’s end.
But what about 31-year-old skipper Ben Stratton?
Despite a little touch-up from Gary Ablett in Round 2, Stratton has made a decent start to the season, helping shut down Brisbane livewire Charlie Cameron in Round 1 and then Richmond’s Shai Bolton on Thursday night.
Stratton deserved plaudits for keeping the electric Cameron to two goals and then restricting Bolton to one major in the big win over the reigning premier.
While his pinching tactics have been binned, Stratton played a selfless role physically smacking into Tom Lynch to make life very difficult for the Richmond spearhead on Thursday night.
Stratton’s intercept possessions have also gone up this year from 5.1 to 5.3 a game despite the shortened quarters.
Stratton signed a one-year deal last season and is off contract again this year.
WHERE BENNELL ALMOST LANDED
It’s been the feel-good story of the season so far, but Harley Bennell could have very nearly swapped colours a year earlier.
It emerged this week that Port Adelaide was discussed as a potential new home for Bennell after struggling through his third injury-marred season at Fremantle.
That was the year Port Adelaide nabbed Ryan Burton as part of the Chad Wingard deal, Sam Mayes from Brisbane and West Coast premiership ruckman Scott Lycett.
Bennell decided to stick it out in the west for one more season but it failed as the Dockers did not detect the problematic muscles causing Bennell’s calf problems.
Of course it has all worked out this season as Bennell, 27, lines up for the second game of his new life at Melbourne against the Bombers on Saturday.
He is playing on a minimum wage but there are high hopes Bennell will earn a new contract extension if he can get through the season without more serious calf dramas.
CAT SET FOR CONTRACT BUMP
No one is expecting anything other than a speedy resolution to Geelong’s contract talks with Tom Hawkins when the league finally lifts a contract freeze in coming months.
Geelong’s list management team has had some talks with Hawkins’ camp despite the AFL ban on contract signings.
Hawkins turns 32 in a month but, after overcoming back issues, has produced five straight seasons of 50-plus goals.
It doesn’t mean Geelong won’t continue a hunt for a successor, and not only has cap space after Tim Kelly’s departure but three first-round picks.
Those extra picks are linked to West Coast (the Kelly trade) and Gold Coast (the mid first-round priority picks currently at 11) so will likely drift back into the late teens by the time academy picks are used.
Brandan Parfitt’s decision not to sign a pre-season contract extension might hand him a nice contract bump.
He wants to stay and the Cats clearly want to keep him so his price will only rise after performances like the 19-possession, 10-tackle, eight-clearance game against Hawthorn.
HOW MUCH IS ROWELL WORTH?
What happens if Gold Coast agrees to terms on an extension with Matt Rowell then by the time they are allowed to sign it he is already the best player at the club?
Thankfully, the AFL’s delay in allowing clubs to re-sign players won’t cost the Suns too much.
They have agreed to terms on an extension into his third and fourth years, and while there could be some rejigging it is understood nothing will change too much regardless of his form.
Most first-round picks of Rowell’s calibre have in the past received as much as $450,000 in their third seasons and he would be worth every bit of that.
This year Rowell had the capacity to make $212,000 for the year — $100,000 as a base, $4000 per match, $12,000 as a bonus for games played and $10,000 as the No. 1 overall pick.
Instead, with match payments down to $2000 he will pick up about 70 per cent of that figure.
The Suns had to dish out excellent money to retain Jack Lukosius and Ben King, with speculation those deals went to $500,000, but again they will be worth every penny.
The Suns have signed 41 of their 51 players in an excellent retention play, and would hope if list sizes are slashed they are allowed to keep most of the extra list spots they were handed as part of a priority pick package
SORRY EDDIE, FOOTIES ARE FINE
The greatest high marker football has seen says he has no problem with the standard of AFL footballs despite his president’s objections.
Collingwood star Jeremy Howe admits the current Sherrin footballs can take 10 minutes to soften, after Eddie McGuire wondered whether it is time to put dimples on the balls given how slippery they are in AFL games.
Clubs have been told they cannot “kick in” the new balls in warm-ups because some would object to using the sponsor of the opposition in warm-ups.
But Howe told the Herald Sun he had no issues with the balls, believing last week’s scrappy contest was all about a lack of polish from players.
“We rotate the balls at training so we get new balls every month anyway. In those first few sessions it’s exactly the same feel as the new balls on game day. Guys should be used to it.
I think the new balls are fine. Even when the balls are fresh, it literally takes 10 minutes for them to get kicked in on game day so I don’t have any issues. I don’t want to cause a stir or argue against the president, but they are fine.”
Howe has backed in the Pies to re-sign Darcy Moore and Jordan De Goey even though the club will have to wait until later in the year.
“They are clearly key figures in our team and with the way they play and how they rocked up after the break, I am sure (list manager) Ned (Guy) has a positive attitude that they can get it sorted.
“I am sure they will be having those conversations and Ned isn’t even at the club, he’s an off-site worker, but Jordan and Darcy would be feeling really appreciated and valued and I am sure it’s a matter of when and not if it gets done. With the way we treat players at Collingwood, it’s appealing for guys to stay at the club.”
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CLARKO’S CATS POT SHOT
So let’s get this straight — Chris Scott doesn’t rate Richmond and Alastair Clarkson doesn’t rate Geelong and the Tigers aren’t that good anyway?
We keep hearing about the new spirit of fraternity among coaches but when they get grumpy that quickly breaks down.
Chris Scott was the first in the pre-season when he said of the Tigers: “We’re in an era where Richmond are a really good team and I think West Coast are going to be really strong, Collingwood (also).
“But with the greatest respect to them (Richmond), they’re not Hawthorn in the multiple premiership years in a row, I don’t think.”
Then on Thursday night came Clarko’s pot-shot at Geelong: “I hope I am not discrediting Geelong by saying that but they are not that good.”
For his part Damien Hardwick just had to shut up and cop the loss, even though his Tigers have beaten both teams in finals in the past two years.
Originally published as Moneyball: Changes looming for AFL Next Generation Academies, contract news on Tom Hawkins, Harley Bennell, Matt Rowell